Skip to Main Content

FLEET LIBRARY | Research Guides

Rhode Island School of Design

Artists' Writings: Locating artists' writings

A resource guide to artists' writings and writing an artist statement

Locating artists' writings in books

Search the RISD/ATH Catalog  to locate books at RISD Library.
Once an initial search is done in RISD/ATH, select to repeat your search query at Brown.


Search by Keyword
Keyword searches return the most results. Most (but not all) results will be relevant. Use an asterisk (*) to truncate words for more results. 


example: artist* = artist, artists, artistic

RISD/ATH catalog:
artist* writings
collected writings

artist* interviews
artists diaries

artists correspondence or artist* and letters

Other useful keyword searches:
artist* statement*
artist* sketchbook*
artist* notebook*

manifesto*
sketchbook* and facsimile*


Search by Subject
Locate the beginning of a subject listing in the catalog and scan the list to discover new facets of your topic. Investigate the subheadings within a broad subject to focus your search.

examples of subject headings:
•    artists writings
•    artists as authors
•    aesthetics

•    art criticism -- authorship
•    art appreciation
•    art--philosophy

•    authorship--collaboration


Search by Artist (Author)
To find books on an artist's work, think of the ARTIST as AUTHOR of their artwork and search by AUTHOR.
examples:

Whiteread, Rachel
Buren, Daniel
Martin, Agnes
Smithson, Robert


Artists' Writings in Series

20_21 Collection. Ediciones Polígrafa

Art 21: Art in the twenty-first century

Conversation series (Cologne, Germany)

MIT Press Writing Art

Positions (Zurich, Switzerland)